Continuing electronic media entertainment after completion of travel segment

ABSTRACT

Continuing electronic media entertainment on a personal electronic device (PED) after completion of a travel segment. Streaming characteristics for streaming of an electronic media item to a PED on board an aircraft via a first connection may be monitored and, if streaming of the remaining portion of the electronic media item will exceed the remaining travel time, trigger some or all of an excess portion of the electronic media item to be sent to the PED. The PED may store the excess portion in an access-controlled media file. After completion of the travel segment (e.g., at the destination location), the PED may resume playback of the electronic media item by obtaining a playback control code via a second, different connection. The second connection may be a different type of connection, or may be an indirect connection, in some cases.

CROSS REFERENCES

The present Application for patent claims the benefit of U.S.Non-Provisional patent application Ser. No. 15/097,403 by VELAYUDHAN, etal., entitled “CONTINUING ELECTRONIC MEDIA ENTERTAINMENT AFTERCOMPLETION OF TRAVEL SEGMENT,” filed Apr. 13, 2016, the contents ofwhich are incorporated by reference for all purposes.

BACKGROUND Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to consumption of electronic media ingeneral, and in particular, to enhancing the ability to consumeelectronic media during and after completion of commercial travel.

Relevant Background

As the use of communications and networking continues to grow around theworld, users are demanding a more seamless content-enjoyment experiencein mobile environments such as commercial transportation vehicles. Forexample, users may want to use their own personal electronic devices(PEDs) to consume media content while on a commercial transportationvehicle such as an aircraft. However, when consuming (e.g., streaming)media content on a PED, completion of streaming may be unpredictable.For example, the user may pause streaming for periods of time during thetravel segment of the aircraft. If the travel segment ends (or thatportion of the segment where PED usage is allowed) prior to thecompletion of streaming, the user's experience may be unsatisfactory. Inaddition, some media content is subject to digital content protection orvarious distribution restrictions. Furthermore, network access once auser disembarks the aircraft can be highly variable and therefore theability to resume streaming via an alternative connection may beuncertain. The ability to provide a high-quality user experience forin-flight entertainment in these environments presents many challenges.

SUMMARY

Methods, systems, and devices are described for continuing electronicmedia entertainment on a personal electronic device (PED) aftercompletion of a travel segment. A media playback manager may monitorstreaming characteristics for streaming of an electronic media item to aPED on board an aircraft via a first connection and, if streaming of theremaining portion of the electronic media item will exceed the remainingtravel time, trigger some or all of an excess portion of the electronicmedia item to be sent to the PED. The PED may store the excess portionin an access-controlled media file. The PED may receive input forresuming playback of the electronic media item after completion of thetravel segment (e.g., at the destination location), and send a requestfor a playback control code to the media playback manager via a second,different connection. The media playback manager may receive and processthe request for the playback control code, and may transmit a playbackcontrol code to the PED via the second connection. The PED may use theplayback control code for decoding of the access-controlled media fileto resume playback of the electronic media item.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of embodiments ofthe present disclosure may be realized by reference to the followingdrawings. In the appended figures, similar components or features mayhave the same reference label. Further, various components of the sametype may be distinguished by following the reference label by a dash anda second label that distinguishes among the similar components. If onlythe first reference label is used in the specification, the descriptionis applicable to any one of the similar components having the same firstreference label irrespective of the second reference label.

FIG. 1 shows an example communications environment for continuingelectronic media entertainment after completion of a travel segment inaccordance with various aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram for incremental update of anaccess-controlled media file for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 4. shows a flow diagram for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment using an indirectsecond connection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a diagram of a method flow for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram of an IFE residual playback controller forcontinuing electronic media entertainment after completion of a travelsegment in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram of a media playback manager for continuingelectronic media entertainment after completion of a travel segment inaccordance with aspects of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram of a PED configured for continuingelectronic media entertainment after completion of a travel segment inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram of a PED configured for continuingelectronic media entertainment after completion of a travel segment inaccordance with aspects of the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The described features generally relate to continuing electronic mediaentertainment on a personal electronic device (PED) after completion ofa travel segment. A passenger on an aircraft may connect a PED to amedia server via a first connection. The first connection may be, forexample, a connection to an access point of an on-board local areanetwork (LAN) or wireless local area network (WLAN). The passenger maybegin streaming an electronic media item from the media server, whichmay be on board the aircraft, or may be accessible via an aircraftcommunications link between the on-board network and other networks(e.g., the Internet).

A media playback manager may monitor streaming metrics for the streamingsession and flight metrics for the aircraft. If the time remaining forstreaming of the electronic media item exceeds a time remaining for theflight, the media playback manager may trigger the media server to sendan excess portion of the electronic media item to the PED for storage inan access-controlled media file. Playback of the access-controlled mediafile may be controlled using a variety of techniques includingencryption, dictionary coding, file-level access control, and/orapplication-level access control.

After disembarking the aircraft, the PED may establish a secondconnection via a second access point at the destination location, whichmay be the same or a different type of access point as the first accesspoint. When the passenger indicates that they wish to resume playback ofthe electronic media item at the destination location the PED may send aplayback request and receive a playback control code via the secondconnection. The playback control code may be, for example, a decryptionkey, a fingerprint, or an authorization code permitting playback of theelectronic media item. The passenger may thus enjoy a seamless mediaexperience in situations in which direct access to the electronic mediaitem is not available because of bandwidth constraints of the secondconnection, or other distribution restrictions on the electronic mediaitem.

This description provides examples, and is not intended to limit thescope, applicability or configuration of embodiments of the principlesdescribed herein. Rather, the ensuing description will provide thoseskilled in the art with an enabling description for implementingembodiments of the principles described herein. Various changes may bemade in the function and arrangement of elements.

Thus, various embodiments may omit, substitute, or add variousprocedures or components as appropriate. For instance, it should beappreciated that the methods may be performed in an order different thanthat described, and that various steps may be added, omitted orcombined. Also, aspects and elements described with respect to certainembodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. It should alsobe appreciated that the following systems, methods, devices, andsoftware may individually or collectively be components of a largersystem, wherein other procedures may take precedence over or otherwisemodify their application.

Consumers are rapidly becoming accustomed to consuming electronic mediaon their own PEDs while travelling. PEDs include, for example, laptopcomputers, tablet computers, smartphones, phablets, and the like. Theelectronic media experience available to consumers can include audio andvideo on demand (AVOD) and use of audio and video sharing services(e.g., YouTube, Vine, etc.). AVOD sources can include in-flightentertainment (IFE), which refers to multimedia content available topassengers on airplanes. While IFE continues to be available topassengers on aircraft-mounted systems (e.g., seatback LCD screens,etc.) on some aircraft, passengers may also be able to stream themultimedia content directly to their PEDs (e.g., over an in-flight Wi-Fisystem, etc.). In some cases, IFE includes “early-release” content thatmay not be otherwise available on-demand. For example, a movie may havean early-release window after the theatrical window where it isavailable as IFE but not on other AVOD content providers.

In addition, aircraft passengers may be provided network access servicevia an aircraft communication link. For example, users may connect theircommunication devices to an access point on the aircraft (e.g., WLANaccess point, etc.), which routes data communications to other networks(e.g., the Internet) via the aircraft communication link. The aircraftcommunication link may be a wireless link (e.g., cellular link,satellite communications link, etc.), and may have sufficientcommunication bandwidth to support broadband experiences (e.g.,streaming media, etc.) for multiple passengers on the aircraft at thesame time.

Because of these distribution controls or limitations, some content maybe unavailable after a passenger disembarks from an aircraft.Additionally, ability to stream media from various AVOD sources may belimited in some destinations, making access to AVOD content unreliable.Where a passenger begins streaming either IFE or content from an AVODprovider, the time for completion of the streaming session may beunpredictable due to the ability to pause or re-stream portions of thecontent. Lack of predictability for completion of streaming, anduncertain access to the content due to network connectivity differences,distribution limitations, or distribution restrictions, may hinder theability of the consumer to complete consumption of the content.

FIG. 1 shows an example communications environment 100 for continuingelectronic media entertainment after completion of a travel segment inaccordance with various aspects of the disclosure. The communicationsenvironment 100 includes an aircraft 160 configured for providingmultimedia content for consumption by passengers using PEDs 115. Forexample, PEDs 115-a and 115-b may establish a connection 166 with accesspoint 165 on the aircraft 160. Access point 165 may be, for example, aWLAN access point (e.g., Wi-Fi access point). The multimedia content maybe, for example, served by media server 150 or media server 155 (e.g.,via aircraft communications link 145).

In the example communications environment 100, the aircraftcommunications link 145 is a communications link of a satellitecommunications system 110. Alternatively, the aircraft communicationlink 145 may be a different type of communications link, such as anair-to-ground link. The satellite communications system 110 may includea satellite 105 (or multiple satellites 105) and a gateway 130 (ormultiple gateways 130). The satellite or satellites 105 may include anysuitable type of communication satellite. In some examples, some or allof the satellites 105 may be in geostationary orbits. In other examples,any appropriate orbit (e.g., medium earth orbit (MEO), low earth orbit(LEO), etc.) for satellite 105 may be used. In one embodiment, thesatellite 105 operates in a multi-beam mode, transmitting a number(e.g., typically 20-150, etc.) of satellite spot beams each directed ata different region of the earth. This can allow coverage of a relativelylarge geographical area and frequency re-use within the covered area.Spot beams for communication with satellite terminals may be calledservice beams while spot beams for communication with gateways 130 maybe called feeder beams. In operation, the satellite communicationssystem 110 provides network access service for multiple communicationterminals including aircraft terminal 170. The network access servicemay include connectivity to one or more networks 120, which may includeany suitable public or private networks and may be connected to othercommunications networks such as the Internet, telephony networks (e.g.,Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN), etc.), and the like.

The gateway 130 sends and receives signals to and from the satellite 105via communication link 140. The gateway 130 may be two-way capable anddesigned with adequate transmit power and receive sensitivity tocommunicate reliably with the satellite 105. The gateway 130 may beconnected to the one or more networks 120.

The aircraft terminal 170 may communicate signals with the satellite 105via the communication link 145. The aircraft terminal 170 may include anantenna mounted to an elevation and azimuth gimbal which points theantenna (e.g., actively tracking) at satellite 105. The satellitecommunications system 110 may operate in the InternationalTelecommunications Union (ITU) Ku, K, or Ka-bands, for example from 17to 31 Giga-Hertz (GHz). Alternatively, satellite communications system110 may operate in other frequency bands such as C-band, X-band, S-band,L-band, and the like. Although discussed with reference to aircraftterminal 170, similar techniques may be used in other applicationsbesides onboard the aircraft 160, such as onboard boats, trains,vehicles, or a stationary location where network access service isdesired (e.g., a business, a school, etc.), in some cases.

The satellite communications system 110 may also include one or moresubscriber terminals (not shown), which may also be provided networkaccess service via satellite spot beams of satellite 105. Eachsubscriber terminal may provide network access service for one or morecustomer premises equipment (CPE) (e.g., desktop computers, laptops,set-top boxes, smartphones, tablets, Internet-enabled televisions, andthe like). The satellite communications system 110 may supportcommunication links to multiple aircraft terminals 170 and multiplesubscriber terminals via the same service beams (e.g., using multipleaccess techniques such as FDMA, TDMA, etc.).

Media server 150 may be configured for providing in-flight entertainmentto passengers on-board aircraft 160. In some examples, the media server150 may be on-board aircraft 160. The media server 150 may store contentfor access by PEDs 115 on board the aircraft 160 (e.g., via access point165). The media server 150 may store any content, including movies(e.g., “early window” titles, popular movies, etc.), shows (e.g.,television “series,” etc.), or other media (e.g., audio programming,etc.). Access to the content on media server 150 may be free forpassengers on the aircraft 160, or passengers may pay to access somecontent stored on media server 150. Additionally or alternatively, PEDs115 on board the aircraft 160 may access content stored by other mediaservers 155 (e.g., via aircraft communications link 145).

As shown in FIG. 1, a passenger may stream 180 an electronic media item175 on PED 115-b from media server 150 while on the aircraft 160.Because the passenger is streaming the electronic media item 175 on PED115-b, the passenger may control playback of the electronic media item175. For example, the passenger may pause playback or skip back tore-watch a particular scene. Thus, the time for streaming of theelectronic media item 175 is uncertain. As shown in FIG. 1, when theaircraft lands (or descends below a flight altitude at which use of PEDs115 must be discontinued due to airline or regulatory agency rules), thestreaming of the electronic media item 175 may not be complete. Thepassenger may disembark the aircraft 160 as shown by arrow 185. However,the passenger may like to complete viewing of the electronic media item175 at the destination. The PED 115-b may support other connections atthe aircraft destination. For example, the PED 115-b may supportconnection 126 to a wireless wide area network (WWAN) 125 as shown incommunications environment 100, which may operate according to one ormore of the various cellular communication protocols (e.g., GSM, CDMA,LTE, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the PED 115-b may connect toa WLAN access point (not shown) at the destination.

However, the unwatched portion of the electronic media item 175 may notbe available via the connection 126 for various reasons. For example,the electronic media item 175 may be an “early window” movie, for whichdistribution is limited to airlines who have purchased rights forviewing by their passengers. As another example, although connection 126may provide some levels of connectivity (e.g., voice, text, etc.), itmay not support a level of connectivity (e.g., IP data, broadbandspeeds, etc.) that enables playback of some types of media (e.g.,movies, etc.). As yet another example, distribution of the electronicmedia item 175 may be restricted from being accessed at the destination(geographically restricted), or distribution infrastructure for accessto the electronic media item 175 from the destination location may notexist. Thus, although the user would like to continue to consume theremainder of electronic media item 175, he or she may be prevented fromdoing so. These shortcomings of consumption of electronic media using aPED on aircraft may result in a poor user experience.

In embodiments, aspects of the communications environment 100 areconfigured for support of continuing electronic media entertainmentafter completion of a travel segment. For example, communicationsenvironment 100 may include media playback manager 135, which maycommunicate with other components (e.g., satellite communications system110, cellular network 125, etc.) to provide a seamless entertainmentexperience for electronic media that is initially accessed while a useris travelling (e.g., on aircraft 160).

FIG. 2 shows a flow diagram 200 for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure. In flow diagram 200, a PED 115-c fora passenger on aircraft 160-a is connected to an access point 165-a(e.g., Wi-Fi access point, etc.) on aircraft 160-a via a firstconnection 166-a. The passenger may begin streaming 180-a an electronicmedia item 175-a from media server 150-a via the access point 165-a.Alternatively, the electronic media item 175-a may be streamed from amedia server that is not located on the aircraft (e.g., media server 155of FIG. 1, etc.).

While the electronic media item 175-a is streamed 180-a to the PED115-c, media playback manager 135-a may monitor streaming and flightmetrics 205 associated with the streaming 180-a and flight of theaircraft 160-a. Streaming and flight metrics 205 may include, forexample, information regarding the amount of time remaining forstreaming the electronic media item 175-a and flight metrics for theaircraft travel segment (e.g., aircraft position, aircraft speed,expected time of arrival at the destination, expected flight path,etc.).

As shown by block 210, the media playback manager 135-a may determinethe time remaining for streaming 180-a of the electronic media item175-a t_(R) and the time remaining for the flight t_(TS) (or for thatportion of the flight where PED use is allowed by regulations) based onthe streaming and flight metrics 205. The media playback manager 135-amay compare the time remaining for streaming 180-a of the electronicmedia item 175-a t_(R) with the time remaining for the flight t_(TS) anddetermine that an excess portion t_(E) of the electronic media item175-a will not have been streamed at the end of the travel segment.

Based on this determination, the media playback manager 135-a may send aresidual content trigger 215 to media server 150-a indicating that theexcess portion t_(E) will remain unstreamed at the end of the travelsegment. The residual content trigger 215 may trigger the media server150-a to send the excess portion 220 of the electronic media item 175-ato the PED 115-c. The excess portion 220 may correspond to that portionat the end of the electronic media item 175-a that will remainunstreamed after the time remaining for the flight t_(TS). The PED 115-cmay store the excess portion 220 of the electronic media item 175-a inan access-controlled media file 225.

In some cases, the electronic media item may be one of a series ofrelated content items (e.g., a series, etc.). The media playback manager135-a may trigger the media server 150-a to send excess portion 220corresponding to at least a portion of a subsequent item of the seriesof related content items. For example, where a user is streaming oneepisode of a series while aboard the aircraft 160-a that the mediaplayback manager 135-a determines will finish streaming prior to the endof the travel segment, the media playback manager 135-a may trigger themedia server 150-a to send at least a portion of one subsequent episode(e.g., the next item of the series) for local storage at the PED in thesame access-controlled media file 225. The portion may correspond to theend of the subsequent episode that will remain unstreamed after the timeremaining for the flight t_(TS). The media server 150-a may send mediafile information 230 to the media playback manager 135-a, which mayinclude information related to access control for the access-controlledmedia file 225.

Playback of access-controlled media file 225 may be controlled in avariety of ways. For example, the access-controlled media file 225 maystore the excess portion 220 of the electronic media item 175-a in anencrypted format. In other examples, the access-controlled media file225 may include a subset of information for the excess portion t_(E) ofthe electronic media item 175-a (e.g., using “delta coding” or“dictionary coding,” etc.). In yet other examples, access may becontrolled at the file or application level, with access granted to thecontents of the access-controlled media file 225 through the use of anauthorization code.

After disembarking the aircraft 160-a at the end of the travel segment,the passenger may want to resume playback of the electronic media item175-a. At the destination location the PED 115-c may establish a secondconnection 126-a with a different access point 125-a. For example,access point 125-a may be a WWAN access point or a WLAN access point.

When the passenger indicates that they wish to resume playback of theelectronic media item 175-a, the PED 115-c may perform remote authorizedlocal playback procedure 250. In remote authorized local playbackprocedure 250, the PED 115-c may send a playback request 240 to themedia playback manager 135-a. The media playback manager 135-a mayauthenticate the request against the media file information 230 and senda playback control code 245 to the PED 115-c (e.g., via the secondconnection 126-a). The playback control code 245 may be, for example, adecryption key, a fingerprint, or an authorization code permittingplayback of the electronic media item 175-a. The playback control codemay be configured for a single use (e.g., a one-time password), and anew playback control code 245 may be sent if playback is stopped andresumed again. Additionally or alternatively, the playback control code245 may be associated with an expiry time and the PED 115-c may decodethe access-controlled media file 225 according to the playback controlcode 245 and a time code. For example, the playback control code 245 mayonly be valid if hashed with a device time or timestamp within a certainrange of the time of receipt of the playback control code 245. In someexamples, multiple playback control codes 245 may be sent periodicallyfrom the media playback manager 135-a to the PED 115-c. For example,where delta coding or dictionary coding is used for access control ofthe access-controlled media file 225, each playback control code 245 mayprovide access to a portion of the access-controlled media file 225.

The PED 115-c may then access the access-controlled media file 225 andresume playback 280 of the electronic media item 175-a. The passengermay thus be able to complete the media experience of the electronicmedia item 175-a in situations in which direct access to the electronicmedia item 175-a is not available because of bandwidth constraints ofthe second connection 126-a, or because of other limitations orrestrictions on distribution of the electronic media item 175-a.Playback of the access-controlled media file 225 using remote authorizedlocal playback procedure 250 may be performed using the same applicationrunning on the PED used to stream the electronic media item 175-a, insome cases.

Although illustrated as separate from the media server 150-a in theexample of FIG. 2, some of the functionality described for mediaplayback manager 135-a may be implemented at the media server 150-a (orat media server 155 as shown in FIG. 1). For example, the media server150-a may receive and monitor streaming and flight metrics 205 todetermine at 210 whether the time remaining for streaming 180-a of theelectronic media item 175-a t_(R) will exceed the time remaining for theflight t_(TS).

In some examples, providing the excess portion 220 to the PED 115-c forstorage in the access-controlled media file 225 is performedincrementally based on changes in the excess portion of the electronicmedia item 175-a determined from the streaming and flight metrics 205.

FIG. 3 shows a flow diagram 300 for incremental update of anaccess-controlled media file for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordance withvarious aspects of the disclosure. In flow diagram 300, a PED 115-d of apassenger on aircraft 160-b is connected to an access point 165-b (e.g.,WLAN access point, etc.) on aircraft 160-b via a first connection 166-b.The passenger may begin streaming 180-b an electronic media item 175-bfrom media server 150-b via the first connection 166-b. Alternatively,the electronic media item 175-b may be streamed from a media server thatis not located on the aircraft 160-b (e.g., media server 155 of FIG. 1,etc.).

While the electronic media item 175-b is streamed 180-b to the PED115-d, media playback manager 135-b may monitor streaming and flightmetrics 205. The media playback manager 135-b may receive the streamingand flight metrics 205 periodically, or triggered by various events(start of streaming, pause of streaming, change in flight metricsaffecting aircraft arrival time, etc.).

Based, for example, on streaming and flight metrics 205-a, the mediaplayback manager 135-b may determine at 310-a that the time remainingfor streaming 180-b of the electronic media item 175-b t_(R1) willexceed a time remaining for the flight t_(S1) (or for that portion ofthe flight where PED use is allowed by regulations). Thus, the mediaplayback manager 135-b may determine that an excess portion t_(E1) ofthe electronic media item 175-b will not have been streamed at the endof the travel segment. The media playback manager 135-b may send aresidual content trigger 215-a to media server 150-b indicating that theexcess portion t_(E1) will remain unstreamed at the end of the travelsegment. Based on the residual content trigger 215-a, the media server150-b may send a first excess portion 220-a of the electronic media item175-b to the PED 115-d. The PED 115-d may store the first excess portion220-a of the electronic media item 175-b in an access-controlled mediafile 225-a. The media server 150-b may send media file information 230-ato the media playback manager 135-b, which may include informationrelated to access control for the access-controlled media file 225-a.

As shown in flow diagram 300, the streaming 180-b of the electronicmedia item 175-b may continue. For various reasons (e.g., pausing ofplayback by the passenger, change in flight metrics, etc.), thedifference between the time remaining in the travel segment and timeremaining for streaming the electronic media item 175-b may change. Forexample, based on subsequently received streaming and flight metrics205-b, the media playback manager 135-b may determine that the timeremaining for streaming 180-b of the electronic media item 175-b t_(R2)will exceed a time remaining for the flight t_(TS2) by an excess portiont_(E2) that is greater than the excess portion t_(E1) for which thefirst excess portion 220-a had been previously sent to the PED 115-d.

The media playback manager 135-b may send a second residual contenttrigger 215-b to media server 150-b indicating that the excess portiont_(E2) will remain unstreamed at the end of the travel segment. Based onthe residual content trigger 215-b, the media server 150-b may send asecond excess portion 220-b of the electronic media item 175-b to thePED 115-d. The second excess portion 220-b may correspond to a portionof the electronic media item 175-b prior to the first excess portion220-a. The PED 115-d may store the second excess portion 220-b of theelectronic media item 175-b in the access-controlled media file 225-a.The media server 150-b may send additional media file information 230-bto the media playback manager 135-b, which may include informationrelated to access control for the access-controlled media file 225-a, ifmodified by the addition of the second excess portion 220-b.

After disembarking the aircraft at the end of the travel segment, thepassenger may resume playback of the electronic media item 175-b usingthe techniques discussed above for acquiring a playback control codecorresponding to the access-controlled media file 225-a via a secondconnection and resuming playback (e.g., remote authorized local playbackprocedure 250).

In some cases, whether to trigger sending of the excess portion 220 ofan electronic media item 175 to the PED 115 may depend oncharacteristics of the destination location or PED 115. FIG. 4 shows aflow diagram 400 for continuing electronic media entertainment aftercompletion of a travel segment in accordance with various aspects of thedisclosure. In flow diagram 400, a PED 115-e of a passenger on aircraft160-c establishes a first connection 166-c to an access point 165-c(e.g., WLAN access point, etc.) on aircraft 160-c. The passenger maybegin streaming 180-c an electronic media item 175-c (e.g., from mediaserver 150-c or media server 155 of FIG. 1, etc.) via the access point165-c.

While the electronic media item 175-c is streamed 180-c to the PED115-e, media playback manager 135-c may monitor streaming and flightmetrics 205-c. The media playback manager 135-c may receive thestreaming and flight metrics 205-c periodically, or triggered by variousevents (start of streaming, pause of streaming, change in aircraftarrival time, etc.).

The media playback manager 135-c may determine at 410 that the timeremaining for streaming 180-c of the electronic media item 175-c t_(R)will exceed a time remaining for the flight t_(TS) (or for that portionof the flight where PED use is allowed by regulations). Thus, the mediaplayback manager 135-c may determine that an excess portion t_(E) of theelectronic media item 175-c will not have been streamed at the end ofthe travel segment.

At 415, the media playback manager 135-c may evaluate characteristics ofthe destination environment and/or electronic media item 175-c todetermine whether to trigger sending of the excess portion t_(E) of theelectronic media item 175-c to be stored at the PED 115-e. For instance,the media playback manager 135-c may determine that availability ofconnectivity is limited at the destination location (e.g., connectionspeeds are generally too low for streaming of the electronic media item175-c, etc.) and that local storage of the excess portion t_(E) islikely necessary for the passenger to be able to complete the mediaconsumption experience. For example, the media playback manager 135-cmay determine the availability of connectivity at the destinationlocation by maintaining (or otherwise having access to) a lookup table,or any other suitable data structure, of the availability ofconnectivity (e.g., typical or known connection speeds) at variousdestination locations. The media playback manager 135-c may then comparethe availability of connectivity at the destination location to athreshold to determine whether to trigger sending of the excess portiont_(E) of the electronic media item 175-c. In some cases, even whereconnectivity is generally good at the destination location, distributionof the electronic media item 175-c may be restricted. For example, an“early release” movie may be available on the aircraft 160-c forstreaming (free of charge or fee-based, etc.) but digital distributionof the electronic media item 175-c may not be otherwise available.Alternatively, the electronic media item 175-c may be available forpurchase on the aircraft 160-c, but would require the passenger topurchase a second streaming session to complete playback afterdisembarking the aircraft 160-c.

Additionally or alternatively, whether the media playback manager 135-ctriggers sending of the excess portion t_(E) of the electronic mediaitem 175-c to be stored at the PED 115-e may be based on characteristicsof the PED 115-e. For example, devices that support only certain typesof connections (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc.) may only have connectivitywhen within range of wired LAN or WLAN access point, and not generallywithin the coverage area of a WWAN (e.g., cellular network). In somecases, whether to send the excess portion t_(E) of the electronic mediaitem 175-c to be stored at the PED 115-e may be based on certaincombinations of characteristics of the destination location for theaircraft 160-c, characteristics of the PED 115-c, and/or characteristics(e.g., content provider, media type, etc.) of the electronic media item175-c.

If, at 415, the media playback manager 135-c determines to triggersending the excess portion t_(E) to the PED 115-c, the media playbackmanager 135-a may send residual content trigger 215-c to media server150-c. The residual content trigger 215-c may trigger the media server150-c to send the excess portion 220-c of the electronic media item175-c to the PED 115-e. The excess portion 220-c may correspond to thatportion at the end of the electronic media item 175-c that will remainunstreamed after the time remaining for the flight t_(TS). The PED 115-cmay store the excess portion 220-c of the electronic media item 175-c inan access-controlled media file 225-b. The media server 150-c may sendmedia file information 230-c to the media playback manager 135-c, whichmay include information related to access control for theaccess-controlled media file 225-b.

In some examples, the media playback manager 135-c may send an initialplayback control code 245-a to the PED 115-e (e.g., via access point165-c) while the PED 115-e is still on the aircraft 160-c. The initialplayback control code 245-a may allow the passenger to access theaccess-controlled media file 225-b to resume playback of the electronicmedia item 175-c for a period of time without any further communicationwith media playback manager 135-c. For example, the initial playbackcontrol code 245-a may be associated with an expiry time relative to atime of receipt of the access-controlled media file 225-b and the PED115-e may decode the access-controlled media file 225-b according to theplayback control code 245-a and a time code. The expiry time may beimplemented in a variety of ways. For example, the initial playbackcontrol code 245-a may only be valid if hashed with a device time ortimestamp within a certain range of the time of receipt of theaccess-controlled media file 225-b.

Where the passenger has not completed playback of the electronic mediaitem 175-c within the expiry time, the PED 115-e can revert to theremote authorized local playback procedure 250 as shown in FIG. 2 toresume playback.

Some PEDs 115 may have limited connectivity. For example, many commonPEDs 115 such as tablets or laptop computers support LAN connections(e.g., WLAN, Ethernet, etc.) and/or personal area network (PAN)connections (e.g., Bluetooth, etc.), but do not support connectivity viaa WWAN. Thus, in many environments these PEDs 115 only have directInternet connectivity when in range of a WLAN access point. Aspassengers may want to resume playback of an electronic media item inmany different types of environments (e.g., indoors, busses, trains,outdoors, etc.), receiving a playback control code 245 at the PED 115via a second direct connection may not always be feasible.

FIG. 5 shows a flow diagram 500 for continuing electronic mediaentertainment after completion of a travel segment using an indirectsecond connection in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure.In flow diagram 500, a PED 115-f for a passenger on aircraft 160-d isconnected to an access point 165-d (e.g., Wi-Fi access point, etc.) onaircraft 160-d.

In block 235-a, the passenger may begin streaming an electronic mediaitem 175-d (e.g., from media server 150-d or media server 155 of FIG. 1,etc.) via the access point 165-d. The media playback manager 135-d maydetermine that an excess portion of an electronic media item 175-d willnot have been streamed at the end of the travel segment and trigger themedia server 150-d to send the excess portion of the electronic mediaitem 175-d to the PED 115-c while the PED 115-f is still on the aircraft160-d for storage in an access-controlled media file 225-c. Block 235-amay include, for example, the steps and communication shown in flowportion 235 of FIG. 2.

At the destination, the passenger may wish to resume playback of theelectronic media item 175-d. However, the PED 115-f may not have directconnectivity to send and receive communications to the media playbackmanager 135-d from the passenger's current location. For example, thePED 115-f may support some types of connections (e.g., Wi-Fi, etc.), butnot be within range of any access points for supported types ofconnections. The passenger may also have a second PED 115-g that doeshave direct connectivity via communication link 126-b (e.g., via a WWANconnection, etc.). For example, the PED 115-f may be a tablet computerthat supports WLAN connectivity but not WWAN connectivity and may be ina location where no WLAN connectivity is available. The second PED 115-gmay be a smartphone that supports WWAN connectivity and can establishconnection 126-b at the location.

In some examples, the passenger may request a playback control code forplayback of the electronic media item 175-d using the second PED 115-g.The second PED 115-g may request the playback control code usinginformation associated with the access-controlled media file 225-c. Theinformation may be passed between the PED 115-f and the second PED 115-gin a variety of ways. In some examples, the PED 115-f and second PED115-g communicate over a PAN connection (e.g., Bluetooth, NFC, Infrared,USB, Lightning, etc.). In other examples, the information may be passedwithout a PAN connection between the PED 115-f and second PED 115-g. Forexample, audio or visual information may be passed using the outputdevices (e.g., screen, speaker, etc.) of the PED 115-f and received onan input device of the second PED 115-g (e.g., camera, microphone,etc.). In one example, a QR code including the information may bedisplayed on the PED 115-f and the PED 115-g may be used to take apicture of the screen of the PED 115-f to read the information. In yetother examples, a code associated with the access-controlled media file225-c may be displayed on the PED 115-f and manually entered into thePED 115-g. In still yet other examples, the PED 115-g may be associated(e.g., paired) with the PED 115-f for IFE media playback and may receiveinformation for requesting a playback control code for theaccess-controlled media file 225-c from media playback manager 135-ddirectly (e.g., via access point 165-d and/or via connection 126-b).

With the information associated with the access-controlled media file225-c from the PED 115-f, the second PED 115-g may be used to send arequest 240-a to the media playback manager 135-d. The media playbackmanager 135-d may authenticate the request against the media fileinformation and send a playback control code 245-b to the second PED115-g (e.g., via the second connection 126-b). The playback control code245-b may be, for example, a decryption key, a fingerprint, or anauthorization code permitting playback of the electronic media item175-d. Transfer of the playback control code 245-b from the second PED115-g to the PED 115-f may be done by way of any of the techniquesdiscussed above for transferring the information associated with theaccess-controlled media file 225-c to the second PED 115-g (e.g., PAN,input/output devices, manual entry, etc.).

The PED 115-f may then access the access-controlled media file 225-c andresume playback 280-a of the electronic media item 175-d. The passengermay thus be able to complete the media experience of the electronicmedia item 175-d even in situations in which the PED 115-f does not havedirect connectivity.

FIG. 6 shows a diagram of a method flow 600 for continuing electronicmedia entertainment after completion of a travel segment in accordancewith various aspects of the disclosure. Method flow 600 may be performedby, for example, media playback managers 135 of FIGS. 1-5.

Method flow 600 may begin at block 605 where the media playback manager135 may be notified that in-flight streaming of an electronic media itemto a PED 115 on an aircraft has begun (e.g., the electronic media itemhas been purchased or otherwise accessed).

At block 610, the media playback manager 135 may evaluatecharacteristics of the PED 115 to determine whether the PED 115 iscapable of supporting local storage for residual playback (e.g., has anIFE residual playback application installed, etc.). The media playbackmanager 135 may also evaluate characteristics of the destinationenvironment and/or electronic media item to determine if local storagefor residual playback is likely to enhance the user experience. If, atblock 615, the media playback manager 135 determines, based on theevaluation at block 610, that local storage for residual playback islikely to enhance the user experience, method flow 600 proceeds to block620 to monitor streaming metrics for the electronic media item andflight metrics for the travel segment of the aircraft.

At block 620, the media playback manager 135 monitors the streaming andflight metrics and compares the time remaining for streaming of theelectronic media item t_(R) to the time remaining for the flight t_(TS)(or for that portion of the flight where PED use is allowed byregulations) and the excess portion t_(E) of the electronic media itemcurrently stored at the PED 115 (e.g., null at the start of message flow600). If the media playback manager 135 determines that the remainingstreaming time t_(R) is greater than the remaining time in the flightsegment t_(TS) plus any excess portion of the electronic media itemalready stored at the PED t_(E′) the media playback manager 135 maytrigger, at block 625, sending of an excess portion t_(E′) to be sent tothe PED for storage in an access-controlled media file. The excessportion t_(E)′ may be, for example, the portion of the electronic mediaitem directly prior to the excess portion t_(E) already stored at thePED 115 in the access-controlled media file, if any. In some examples,the excess portion t_(E′) may include padding to allow the passenger tore-watch a portion of the electronic media item prior to where streamingwill end at the end of the travel segment (e.g., to refresh their memoryof where they left off, etc.).

In some examples, the media playback manager 135 may determine at block625 what type of access control is to be used for the access-controlledmedia file. The type of access control may depend on, for example,characteristics of the PED 115, destination location, and/or theelectronic media item. For example, delta coding or dictionary codingmay be used in environments where connectivity is relatively betterwhile file encryption or file locking may be used in environments whereconnectivity is relatively worse or only certain types of data can bereceived (e.g., text, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, differentaccess control levels may be assigned to different electronic mediaitems (e.g., based on desired security level, etc.) and the type ofaccess control may be selected based on the access control level of thestreamed electronic media item.

At block 630, the media playback manager 135 may determine whether thetravel segment is complete (or almost complete). If the travel segmentis complete, the method flow 600 may proceed to block 635, where theinstrument for receiving a playback control code for theaccess-controlled media file may be determined. The determination may bebased on, for example, characteristics of the PED 115 (e.g., types ofconnectivity, etc.) or user selection. For example, the passenger mayindicate that they wish to receive the playback control code via apaired second PED 115 because of the wider availability of connectivityvia the second PED 115. If, at block 630, the travel segment is notcomplete (or almost complete), the media playback manager 135 maycontinue to monitor streaming metrics for the electronic media item andflight metrics for the travel segment of the aircraft.

Once the travel segment has completed, the media playback manager 135may monitor for a request for a playback control code for the electronicmedia item at block 640. If a request for a playback control code forthe electronic media item is received at block 640, the media playbackmanager 135 may authenticate the request and send the playback controlcode via the instrument determined at block 635. The method flow 600 maythen complete at block 650. In some examples, the playback control codesent at block 645 may be associated with an expiry time, in which casethe media playback manager 135 may monitor for additional requests atblock 640 after sending the playback control code at block 645.Additionally or alternatively, the playback control code sent at block645 may be usable for playback of a subset of the excess portion of theelectronic media item stored at the PED 115. For example, each playbackcontrol code may apply for a portion of the excess portion of theelectronic media item stored at the PED 115 in the access-controlledmedia file. Additional requests may be received at block 640 for eachportion as the user continues playback.

FIG. 7 shows a block diagram 700 of an IFE residual playback controller705 for continuing electronic media entertainment after completion of atravel segment in accordance with various aspects of the disclosure. TheIFE residual playback controller 705 may illustrate, for example,aspects of media playback managers 135 discussed above with reference toFIGS. 1-6. The IFE residual playback controller 705 may includestreaming/flight metrics processor 710, residual trigger generator 720,access control selector 715, media file information processor 725,playback request processor 730, storage 735, and/or environmentevaluator 740. Each of these components may be in communication witheach other, directly or indirectly.

Environment evaluator 740 may evaluate characteristics of the PED 115(e.g., type of device, installed applications, etc.), the destinationenvironment (e.g., availability and type of connectivity at thedestination of an aircraft, etc.), and/or an electronic media item todetermine if local storage for residual playback is likely to enhancethe user experience. The environment evaluator may determine whether toenable local storage for residual playback for streaming sessions toPEDs 115 aboard aircraft.

Streaming/flight metrics processor 710 may control functions related toreceiving and processing of metrics related to streaming of electronicmedia items (e.g., time remaining for streaming, etc.) and flightmetrics related to travel segments for aircraft on which the electronicmedia items are being streamed. Streaming/flight metrics processor 710may determine for various streaming sessions to PEDs 115 on the aircraftthat the time remaining for streaming of an electronic media item t_(R)will exceed a time remaining for the flight t_(TS) (or for that portionof the flight where PED use is allowed by regulations). Thus, thestreaming/flight metrics processor 710 may determine that an excessportion t_(E) of the electronic media item will not have been streamedat the end of the travel segment. Streaming/flight metrics processor 710may exchange information with the residual trigger generator 720 relatedto the excess portion t_(E).

Access control selector 715 may determine a type of access control is tobe used for an access-controlled media file for local storage at the PEDof the excess portion t_(E) of an electronic media item. The type ofaccess control may depend on, for example, characteristics of the PED115, destination location, and/or the electronic media item as discussedabove. Access control selector 715 may exchange information with theresidual trigger generator 720 related to the type of access control tobe used.

The residual trigger generator 720 may send a residual content triggerto a media server (e.g., media servers 150, 155 of FIG. 1, etc.) totrigger the media server to send the excess portion of the electronicmedia item to the PED 115 for local storage in an access-controlledmedia file.

The media file information processor 725 may receive information relatedto the access-controlled media file stored locally at the PED 115. Themedia file information may include PED information (e.g., MAC address,etc.) and/or access-control information for the access-controlled mediafile (e.g., encryption information, file locking information, dictionarycoding information, etc.). The media file information processor 725 maystore the media file information in storage 735.

The playback request processor 730 may receive playback requests fromPEDs 115 as a result of the users requesting to resume playback ofelectronic media items. The playback request processor 730 mayauthenticate the requests against media file information and sendplayback control codes to the PEDs based on successful authentication ofthe requests. The playback control codes may be sent via a differentconnection to the PEDs than used for streaming of the electronic mediaitems.

In various examples of an IFE residual playback controller 705, one ormore of the blocks shown may be implemented as portions (e.g.,functional blocks, etc.) of software/firmware code stored in memory at adevice (e.g., at media playback manager 135 as discussed with referenceto FIGS. 1-6). In such examples, any of the respective communicationsmay be implemented by passing parameters or references between therespective portions of code. Additionally or alternatively, one or moreof the blocks shown, or any portion thereof, may be implemented byseparate hardware units (e.g., application specific integrated circuits(ASICs), etc.), including portions of code executed at standaloneprocessors. In such examples, any of the respective communications maybe implemented as a wired or wireless signal transmission between therespective separate hardware units.

FIG. 8 shows a block diagram 800 of a media playback manager 135-e forcontinuing electronic media entertainment after completion of a travelsegment in accordance with aspects of the present disclosure. The mediaplayback manager 135-e may be an example of media playback managers 135of FIGS. 1-5. The media playback manager 135-e may include a processor810, memory 815, a communications manager 830, and a network interface850. Each of these components may be in communication with each other,directly or indirectly, over one or more buses 835.

The memory 815 may include random access memory (RAM) and/or read-onlymemory (ROM). The memory 815 may store an operating system (OS) 820(e.g., built on a Linux or Windows kernel). The memory 815 may alsostore computer-readable, computer-executable code 825 includinginstructions that are configured to, when executed, cause the processor810 to perform various functions described herein related to continuingelectronic media entertainment after a travel segment. Alternatively,the code 825 may not be directly executable by the processor 810 but beconfigured to cause the media playback manager 135-e (e.g., whencompiled and executed) to perform one or more of the functions describedherein.

The media playback manager 135-e may include an IFE residual playbackcontroller 705-a, which may be an example of the IFE residual playbackcontroller of FIG. 7. The IFE residual playback controller 705-a maymanage various aspects of continuing electronic media entertainmentafter a travel segment (e.g., monitoring flight and streaming metrics,triggering sending excess portions of electronic media items for localstorage at PEDs, managing playback authorization, generating playbackcontrol codes, etc.) as described herein.

FIG. 9 shows a block diagram 900 of a PED 115-h configured forcontinuing electronic media entertainment after completion of a travelsegment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. PED 115-h mayillustrate for example, aspects of PEDs 115 discussed above withreference to FIGS. 1-6. PED 115-h may include transceiver(s) 920, IFEmedia player 930, and storage 940.

The transceiver(s) 920 may include one or more modems configured tomodulate data (e.g., packet data, voice data, etc.) and transmit themodulated data via one or more wired or wireless communication links(e.g., WWAN communication links, WLAN communication links, etc.). Theone or more modems may also be configured to demodulate data receivedvia the one or more wired or wireless communication links and providethe data to other components of the PED 115-h.

The IFE media player 930 may be configured to support streaming andlocal playback of residual portions of electronic media items. The IFEmedia player 930 may receive user input via I/O devices 980 (e.g., usercommands to start/pause/stop/resume playback of an electronic mediaitem). IFE media player 930 may include media file manager 950, userinput interpreter 960, playback code manager 965, and media decoder 970.IFE media player 930 may be an application or a combination ofapplication layer, service layer, and/or library layer components.

When the PED 115-h is on-board an aircraft, the IFE media player 930 maybe used to stream an electronic media item from a media server, whichmay be either on-board or external to the aircraft. For example, themedia file manager 950 may present electronic media items available fromone or more media servers (e.g., on-board the aircraft or external tothe aircraft, etc.) via an access point on the aircraft and the user mayselect an electronic media item for streaming. The user inputinterpreter 960 may detect the selection and communicate the selectionto the media file manager 950. The media file manager 950 may requeststreaming of the selected electronic media item from the media servervia a first communication connection (e.g., with the access point on theaircraft). The media server may begin streaming the selected electronicmedia item, which may be decoded by the media decoder 970 and thedecoded media sent to the I/O devices 980 (e.g., screen, speaker, etc.)for display to the user.

Based on a residual content trigger (e.g., from a media playback manager135), the media server may send an excess portion of the electronicmedia item to the IFE media player 930 via the first communicationconnection. The excess portion may be, for example, the portion of theelectronic media item that will remain unstreamed at the end of thetravel segment for the aircraft based on the time remaining forstreaming the electronic media item and the time remaining in the travelsegment (e.g., or that portion of the travel segment for which thestreaming is allowed by regulations, etc.). The media file manager 950may receive the excess portion and store the excess portion of theelectronic media item in an access-controlled media file in storage 940.Storage 940 may be, for example, a solid-state storage device (e.g.,solid state drive (SSD), flash memory, etc.) or any other type ofnon-volatile storage media (e.g., hard disk drive (HDD), etc.).

Subsequently, the user may disembark the aircraft and the PED 115-h mayestablish a second communication connection (e.g., with a WWAN or WLANaccess point at the destination, etc.). The user may indicate to the IFEmedia player 930 (e.g., via I/O devices 980 and user input interpreter960) that they wish to resume playback of the electronic media item. Theplayback code manager 965 may send (e.g., via transceiver(s) 920) arequest for a playback control code for the access-controlled mediafile. The request may be sent, for example, via the second communicationconnection. The playback code manager 965 may receive a playback controlcode for the access-controlled media file via the second communicationconnection and provide the playback control code to the media decoder970.

The media decoder 970 may include an access control decoder 975 fordecoding the access-controlled media file based on the received playbackcontrol code. In some examples, access control for the access-controlledmedia file may be by way of encryption and the playback control code maybe a decryption code. Alternatively, the access-controlled media filemay be dictionary-coded and the playback control code may be one or morefingerprints for the dictionary-coded file. In yet other examples,access control for the access-controlled media file may be by way oflocking the access-controlled media file (e.g., application-level orservice level file locking, etc.), and the playback control code may bean authorization code for unlocking the file. In some examples, aplayback control code may permit access to a portion of theaccess-controlled media file and multiple playback control codes may berequested, received, and used for decoding respective portions of theaccess-controlled media file during playback of the electronic mediaitem.

In some examples, the playback code manager 965 may receive an initialplayback control code via the first communication connection (e.g.,while the PED 115-h is still on the aircraft) that may allow access tothe access-controlled media file for a period of time without anyfurther communication with a media playback manager. For example, theinitial playback control code may be associated with an expiry timerelative to a time of receipt of the access-controlled media file. Forexample, the initial playback control code may be valid for a certainrange of the time of receipt of the access-controlled media file. Whereplayback of the electronic media item has not completed within theexpiry time, the playback code manager 965 can request an additionalplayback control code via the second communication connection.

In some examples, the playback code manager 965 may receive a playbackcontrol code via an indirect connection. Receiving the playback controlcode via an indirect connection may be useful in instances where PED115-h has limited connectivity at the destination location. For example,many common PEDs 115 such as tablets or laptop computers support LANconnections (e.g., WLAN, Ethernet, etc.) and/or PAN connections (e.g.,Bluetooth, etc.), but do not support connectivity via a WWAN. Thus, inmany environments these PEDs 115 only have direct Internet connectivitywhen in range of a WLAN access point. However, a user may have a secondPED 115 that may support WWAN connectivity and may be able to retrieve aplayback control code in situations where the PED 115-h that has thestored access-controlled media file does not have connectivity. Asdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 5, the user may request aplayback control code for playback of the electronic media item 175-dusing the second PED 115, which may exchange information for requestingthe playback control code with the PED 115-h (e.g., via a PANconnection, via audio/visual data exchange, manually enteredinformation, etc.). Using the information, the second PED 115 may beused to send a request for the playback control code to a media playbackmanager 135, and receive the playback control code. Transfer of theplayback control code from the second PED 115 to the PED 115-h may bedone by the same method used for exchange of information for requestingthe playback control code, or a different one of the discussedtechniques, in some cases.

FIG. 10 shows a block diagram 1000 of a PED 115-i configured forcontinuing electronic media entertainment after completion of a travelsegment in accordance with aspects of the disclosure. The PED 115-i mayhave various configurations and may be or be part of a cellulartelephone, a smartphone, a tablet, a PDA, a digital video recorder(DVR), an internet appliance, a gaming console, an e-reader, or thelike. The PED 115-i may, in some examples, have an internal powersupply, such as a small battery, to facilitate mobile operation. In someexamples, the PED 115-i may be an example of aspects of one or more ofthe PEDs 115 described with reference to any of FIG. 1-6 or 9. The PED115-i may be configured to implement at least some of the features andfunctions described with reference to any of FIGS. 1-6.

The PED 115-i may include a processor 1010, memory 1015, one or moretransceiver(s) 1020, one or more antenna(s) 1045), IFE media player930-a, and/or I/O devices 1080. Each of these components may be incommunication with each other, directly or indirectly, over one or morebuses 1055.

The memory 1015 may include random access memory (RAM) and/or read-onlymemory (ROM). The memory 1015 may store at least a mobile OS 1025. Themobile OS 1025 may be built on a Linux or Windows kernel and may be, forexample, an Android mobile OS, Apple iOS mobile OS, or Windows Phonemobile OS. The memory 1015 may also store computer-readable,computer-executable code 1035 including instructions that are configuredto, when executed, cause the processor 1010 to perform various functionsdescribed herein related to security monitoring and notification.Alternatively, the code 1035 may not be directly executable by theprocessor 1010 but be configured to cause the mobile device 115-i (e.g.,when compiled and executed) to perform one or more of the functionsdescribed herein.

The processor 1010 may include an intelligent hardware device, e.g., aCPU, a microcontroller, an ASIC, or the like. The processor 1010 mayprocess information received through the transceiver(s) 1020 and/orinformation to be sent to the transceiver(s) 1020 for transmissionthrough the antenna(s) 1045. The processor 1010 may handle, inconnection with the transceiver(s) 1020 various aspects of communicatingover (or managing communications over) a radio frequency spectrum.

The transceiver(s) 1020 may include a modem configured to modulatepackets and provide the modulated packets to the antenna(s) 1045 fortransmission, and to demodulate packets received from one or moreantenna(s) 1045. The transceiver(s) 1020 may, in some examples, beimplemented as one or more transmitter modules and one or more separatereceiver modules. The transceiver(s) 1020 may support wirelesscommunication using one or more radio access technologies. Thetransceiver(s) 1020 may be configured to communicate bi-directionally,via the antenna(s) 1045, with one or more WLAN, WWAN, and/or PAN devicesand/or networks as described above.

The one or more I/O devices 1080 may include one or more cameras,microphones, audio devices such as speakers, display devices such as atouch-sensitive screen, switches, buttons, click-wheel(s), motors,actuators, electromagnets, piezoelectric sensors, network interfacecards, USB controllers, storage devices, or any other type of hardwaredevice that can be part of or communicatively coupled with the PED 115-iand used by a user to input information or to provide information to theuser.

The IFE media player 930-a may be configured to perform and/or managesome or all of the features and/or functions described with reference toany of FIGS. 1-6 related to playback of streaming media via a firstconnection, receiving an access-controlled media file via the firstconnection, storing the access controlled media file, requesting and/orreceiving a playback code via a second connection, and/or resumingplayback using the playback control code as described above. The IFEmedia player 930-a may be an example of the IFE media player 930discussed above with reference to FIG. 9.

One Time Password (OTP)

It should be noted that the methods, systems and devices discussed aboveare intended merely to be examples. It must be stressed that variousembodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, it should be appreciated that,in alternative embodiments, the methods may be performed in an orderdifferent from that described, and that various steps may be added,omitted or combined. Also, features described with respect to certainembodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Differentaspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similarmanner. Also, it should be emphasized that technology evolves and, thus,many of the elements are exemplary in nature and should not beinterpreted to limit the scope of embodiments of the principlesdescribed herein.

Specific details are given in the description to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. However, it will be understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments may be practicedwithout these specific details. For example, well-known circuits,processes, algorithms, structures, and techniques have been shownwithout unnecessary detail in order to avoid obscuring the embodiments.

Also, it is noted that the embodiments may be described as a processwhich is depicted as a flow diagram or block diagram. Although each maydescribe the operations as a sequential process, many of the operationscan be performed in parallel or concurrently. In addition, the order ofthe operations may be rearranged. A process may have additional stepsnot included in the figure. Processors may perform the necessary tasks.Features implementing functions may also be physically located atvarious positions, including being distributed such that portions offunctions are implemented at different physical locations.

Furthermore, embodiments may be implemented by hardware, software,firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware description languages, orcombinations thereof. When implemented in software, firmware, middlewareor microcode, the program code or code segments to perform the necessarytasks may be stored in a computer-readable medium such as a storagemedium. A computer-readable medium may include, for example, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magneticdisk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium thatcan be used to carry or store desired program code means in the form ofinstructions or data structures and that can be accessed by ageneral-purpose or special-purpose computer, or a general-purpose orspecial-purpose processor.

As used herein, including in the claims, the term “and/or,” when used ina list of two or more items, means that any one of the listed items canbe employed by itself, or any combination of two or more of the listeditems can be employed. For example, if a composition is described ascontaining components A, B, and/or C, the composition can contain Aalone; B alone; C alone; A and B in combination; A and C in combination;B and C in combination; or A, B, and C in combination. Also, as usedherein, including in the claims, “or” as used in a list of items (forexample, a list of items prefaced by a phrase such as “at least one of”or “one or more of”) indicates a disjunctive list such that, forexample, a list of “at least one of A, B, or C” means A or B or C or ABor AC or BC or ABC (i.e., A and B and C).

Having described several embodiments, it will be recognized by those ofskill in the art that various modifications, alternative constructions,and equivalents may be used without departing from the spirit of theprinciples described herein. For example, the above elements may merelybe a component of a larger system, wherein other rules may takeprecedence over or otherwise modify the application of the principlesdescribed herein. Also, a number of steps may be undertaken before,during, or after the above elements are considered. Accordingly, theabove description should not be taken as limiting the scope of theinvention.

1. (canceled)
 2. A method, comprising: identifying, for a personalelectronic device in a vehicle, that streaming of a first remainingportion of an electronic media item to the personal electronic devicevia a first communication connection will exceed a first remaining timeperiod of a travel segment of the vehicle by a first excess portion,wherein the first communication connection comprises a first accesspoint that is located in the vehicle; transmitting, based at least inpart on the identifying, at least a portion of the first excess portionof the electronic media item to the personal electronic device via thefirst communication connection to be stored in an access-controlledmedia file; receiving, via a second communication connection, a requestfor resuming playback of the electronic media item, wherein the secondcommunication connection is exclusive of the first access point; andtransmitting a playback control code to the personal electronic devicevia the second communication connection, the playback control codespecific to the stored access-controlled media file and permittingplayback of the access-controlled media file at the personal electronicdevice.
 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the second communicationconnection comprises a second access point that is not located in thevehicle.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the first access point isassociated with a first communication protocol and the second accesspoint is associated with a second, different communication protocol. 5.The method of claim 2, further comprising: determining whether totransmit the first excess portion of the electronic media item to thepersonal electronic device based on one or more of: availability ofconnectivity at a destination location of the travel segment;availability of content distribution of the electronic media item at thedestination location of the travel segment; a connection capability ofthe personal electronic device; or a user-specific configurationassociated with the personal electronic device.
 6. The method of claim2, further comprising: determining the first remaining time period ofthe travel segment of the vehicle based on at least one of a currentvehicle location, a destination location, a current vehicle speed, or anestimated vehicle speed.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein theaccess-controlled media file is encrypted and the playback control codecomprises a decryption key of the access-controlled media file.
 8. Themethod of claim 2, wherein the access-controlled media file comprisesone or more dictionary-coded data blocks and the playback control codecomprises respective fingerprints for the one or more dictionary-codeddata blocks.
 9. The method of claim 2, wherein the access-controlledmedia file comprises a locked media file and the playback control codecomprises an authorization code.
 10. The method of claim 2, wherein theelectronic media item comprises a series of related content items andthe first remaining portion comprises at least a portion of a first itemof the series of related content items, the method further comprising:transmitting at least a portion of a second, subsequent item of theseries of related content items to the personal electronic device forstoring in the access-controlled media file.
 11. An apparatus,comprising: a processor; memory in electronic communication with theprocessor; and instructions stored in the memory and executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: identify, for a personal electronicdevice in a vehicle, that streaming of a first remaining portion of anelectronic media item to the personal electronic device via a firstcommunication connection will exceed a first remaining time period of atravel segment of the vehicle by a first excess portion, wherein thefirst communication connection comprises a first access point that islocated in the vehicle; transmit, based at least in part on theidentifying, at least a portion of the first excess portion of theelectronic media item to the personal electronic device via the firstcommunication connection to be stored in an access-controlled mediafile; receive, via a second communication connection, a request forresuming playback of the electronic media item, wherein the secondcommunication connection is exclusive of the first access point; andtransmit a playback control code to the personal electronic device viathe second communication connection, the playback control code specificto the stored access-controlled media file and permitting playback ofthe access-controlled media file at the personal electronic device. 12.The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the second communication connectioncomprises a second access point that is not located in the vehicle. 13.The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the first access point is associatedwith a first communication protocol and the second access point isassociated with a second, different communication protocol.
 14. Theapparatus of claim 11, wherein the instructions are executable by theprocessor to cause the apparatus to: determine whether to transmit thefirst excess portion of the electronic media item to the personalelectronic device based on one or more of: availability of connectivityat a destination location of the travel segment; availability of contentdistribution of the electronic media item at the destination location ofthe travel segment; a connection capability of the personal electronicdevice; or a user-specific configuration associated with the personalelectronic device.
 15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein theinstructions are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:determine the first remaining time period of the travel segment of thevehicle based on at least one of a current vehicle location, adestination location, a current vehicle speed, or an estimated vehiclespeed.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the access-controlledmedia file is encrypted and the playback control code comprises adecryption key of the access-controlled media file.
 17. The apparatus ofclaim 11, wherein the access-controlled media file comprises one or moredictionary-coded data blocks and the playback control code comprisesrespective fingerprints for the one or more dictionary-coded datablocks.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the access-controlledmedia file comprises a locked media file and the playback control codecomprises an authorization code.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, whereinthe electronic media item comprises a series of related content itemsand the first remaining portion comprises at least a portion of a firstitem of the series of related content items, and wherein theinstructions are executable by the processor to cause the apparatus to:transmit at least a portion of a second, subsequent item of the seriesof related content items to the personal electronic device for storingin the access-controlled media file.